


A Sister's Role

by AmeliaDarkholme



Series: You Gave Me A Family [5]
Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Iron Family, Iron Kids, Post-Spider-Man: Far From Home, Stark children
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 13:07:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29260956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmeliaDarkholme/pseuds/AmeliaDarkholme
Summary: Nebula liked to think of herself as someone relatively fair. She was only kind to Morgan, and equally cruel to both of her brothers.
Relationships: Harley Keener & Nebula, Harley Keener & Nebula & Peter Parker, Harley Keener & Nebula & Peter Parker & Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Harley Keener & Peter Parker, Harley Keener & Peter Parker & Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Michelle Jones/Peter Parker, Nebula & Peter Parker
Series: You Gave Me A Family [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1368082
Comments: 7
Kudos: 54





	A Sister's Role

Nebula had been living with her family for over a year when her brothers finally took her to high school—the place that they both dreaded the most. To be precise, it was Peter’s school that they went to. After spending the past few months at home to finish the end of his last year of high school, it was time for Peter’s graduation. The brunet initally didn’t want to attend because he was still paranoid about going to public places. But after May Parker gave him those puppy-dog eyes that Nebula knew Peter had inherited from her, her brother relented and agreed to come to his graduation. It helped that Pepper had promised she’d bring the whole family to the occasion—which meant Happy and Rhodey were coming too. Peter didn’t say it out loud, but it was obvious he was flattered that everyone cared so much for him that they would all be attending his high school graduation. Even Harley’s obnoxious teasing couldn’t wipe away Peter’s tearful yet beaming smile that he’d had plastered onto his face from the moment he’d woken up that day.

The eight of them arrived at Midtown High School together in the long-car that Harley told her was called a limousine—and even though Nebula didn’t know much about Terran vehicles, she could tell that it was a fancy form of transportation. Her suspicions were confirmed when they arrived at Peter’s school, and she noticed the way people stared in awe at the mere sight of the car. The rude whispers and the pointing only worsened when Pepper got out holding Morgan’s hand, and that was when people seemed to realise that the Stark party had come to attend Peter Parker’s graduation. Pepper, who was used to being in the spotlight because of Tony, kindly led a surprised and confused May into the building. Pepper tried to get May to talk about Peter’s early school years, which seemed to help the shorter woman in getting over the attention she received. The two of them were soon laughing like they always did when they shared embarrassing stories about Peter as they walked. Every once in a while, Morgan would laugh along with them as she swung both women’s hands, even though she didn’t really understand what the conversation was about.

Behind the two women and Morgan was Peter, who quickly excused himself so he could join his friends to get ready for the graduation ceremony. Nebula saw him approaching the curly-haired girl she knew to be Peter’s girlfriend before the both of them disappeared in the throng of Peter’s school mates. Rhodey and Happy dutifully followed Pepper and May, and were watching the crowd closely in case of an attack. They were understandably tense, seeing that this was the first time in months that they’d all gone to a public event like this. There were simply too many people around them, and that meant a lot of things could happen. Despite their tenseness, Nebula could still see the small smiles they gave Morgan when she waved at them from where she sat on her seat between Pepper and May. The little girl gestured animatedly toward the stage where Peter and MJ had joined their friends, mouthing something about how she could see Peter kissing MJ. Nebula couldn’t help herself when she felt her lips tug into a small grin.

“Christ, I forgot how I _hated_ high school,” Harley drawled out from where he sat beside her. He had volunteered to sit in the back with Nebula to keep an eye on the exits while Rhodey and Happy watched over Pepper, May and Morgan. The Luphomoid knew that it was half an excuse for the blond to stay as far away as he could from the crowd. Harley, after all, was even more paranoid than Peter.

“You didn’t spend a long time in high school though, right?” Nebula asked. She remembered the blond telling her that he’d graduated out of high school three years ahead of students his age.

Harley nodded as he pulled from his pocket something he called a Snickers chocolate bar. Taking a huge bite from the chocolate after he’d unwrapped it, he said, “I actually _liked_ school. All the studying and even the ridiculous exams. It’s the people that I didn’t like. And they didn’t like me either, so.”

“Humans are weird,” Nebula couldn’t help but to comment. “I’ve been here for over a year already, and I still don’t get the way all of you think.”

“Yeah, well,” Harley said, taking a pause to swallow before he continued. “The younger ones are even weirder. Especially teenagers.”

There was an announcement that the event was about to start, and both Nebula and Harley fell quiet in response. It didn’t take long before Nebula understood why exactly Peter had seemed reluctant about the idea of attending his own graduation. Nebula had gone through torture as part of Thanos’ training, and she didn’t think it had gone on as long as this graduation ceremony. She felt like it went on for literal _ages_. There was always someone who went on and on _and on_ about some nonsense, spewing out pretty words about how great things had been despite the hardships they all had been dealing with. Harley had already come up with a number of _disruptive_ ways to entertain himself after thirty minutes had passed. He only stopped when Pepper aimed her patented Death Stare at him after the seventh time he turned off Principal Morita’s microphone from his Stark-Watch. Nebula had to fight back a small laugh at the way Harley pouted and sulked like a scolded toddler. She knew that if it weren’t for Peter, Harley would probably have done something stupid in true Stark fashion and made a scene.

Fortunately for Harley, his entertainment was provided for him just mere moments later.

Nebula was told that was as someone who’d graduated top of his year, Peter would be a giving a speech in front of everyone. It was another reason why Peter hadn’t wanted to attend graduation. Everyone who knew Peter knew that despite being naturally charming and near-impossible to dislike unless you were a nincompoop named Eugene 'Flash' Thompson, Peter Parker was hopeless when it came to public speaking. He’d proved it when he’d had to make a speech after he was cleared from Beck’s false accusations, paling two shades from his original pallor before hyperventilating to the point that _Harley_ had to offer to go do the talking instead. And if someone as antisocial as Harley would go as far as offering to speak in public in someone’s place, it told everyone just how much Peter hated public speaking. Unfortunately, Morita wouldn’t accept a no when Peter told him he _really_ didn’t do well with speeches, so Peter had no choice. In the end, Pepper had to come up with a super short but sweet speech that Peter could read comfortably.

And at first, it all went smoothly. Peter was called up to the front to make his speech, earning a boisterous round of applause from his girlfriend, best friend and family. Then Morgan made a cute gesture to demonstrate her support, by moving to the very front of the audience, taking a seat on the grass right in front of the stage where Peter was, and cheering sweetly and adorably for her big brother. This seemed to boost Peter's confidence, and he even managed a smile when he began his speech. His voice was calm and steady, and Nebula noticed how he seemed to become more comfortable and confident as he went on. He was just reading the last part of his speech when the most annoying tune for a horn rang loudly from where a familiar, ugly brown van skidded to a halt in the back, just meters away from where Nebula and Harley were sitting. Then out came sheepish Scott Lang and the girl Nebula assumed to be his daughter Cassie, who looked even more embarrassed than her father, as she half-ran toward the stage. She left Scott behind and hastily took her seat beside Peter’s girlfriend, who kindly flashed her a reassuring smile even as she glared warningly at anyone who she thought would have given Cassie a hard-time—the teachers included. Meanwhile Scott himself was forced to make his embarrassing journey into his seat beside his girlfriend, his ex-wife and her husband. Nebula could almost feel the harsh scolding both women dished out at the former burglar.

"Peter?” Morita prompted to Nebula’s brother, who had faltered mid-sentence at Scott and Cassie’s loud and iconic arrival.

Blinking back into focus, Peter cleared his throat and said, “Uh, right. The speech… Well um, I don’t actually have anything else to say? So… I guess that’s all? Thanks for coming, everyone. I truly hope for the best for all of us.”

Everyone clapped politely as Peter went back to his seat, nodding kindly to Cassie who immediately jumped up from her own seat to talk to him, obviously to apologise. As Morita took the stand again and started reading out what was next in the agenda, Nebula felt Harley tap her on the shoulder. “Come on, I’m starving,” Harley said, nodding toward the snack-stands. “They’re still going to do one last round of singing. And then there’s the pictures. I think Happy and Rhodes can deal without our backup for a moment.”

“Fine,” Nebula sighed, rolling her eyes and followed her brother.

“That was Ant-Man, wasn’t it?” Harley asked, already munching on some weird-shaped bread he called a croissant. Looking at her brother, it made Nebula wonder for the umpteenth time whether it was true that the male truly had a bottomless pit for a stomach.

“Yes, that’s him,” Nebula said. “And the young girl is his daughter Cassie.”

“Hmm,” Harley hummed, turning toward where Peter and his schoolmates were taking pictures. Nebula had a feeling that for the first time since they’d gotten to Peter’s school, Harley’s attention wasn’t on their brother. “She’s the one who transferred to Midtown last year after the Snap, right? Under Fury’s orders?”

“Yes. Everyone agreed that all the children of those who had fought Thanos should be put in the same area, to make it easier to monitor them. This applies to Peter, Cassie Lang and the Barton children. You and the Wakandan princess are the only ones who don’t have to follow this rule, since you take your classes online and the princess is protected with a legion of the world’s best fighters.”

Harley hummed again but it was clear to Nebula that he was no longer listening. He was making his way back toward the crowd of students that had just finished taking pictures, leaving Nebula with no choice but to follow him. Peter was the first one to break free from his schoolmates, approaching his family with a huge smile on his face. The first one to offer Peter her congratulations was Morgan, who leaped into Peter’s arms and giggled loudly when he swung her around. The newly-graduated teenager was practically glowing with happiness as he then accepted a hug from May and Pepper, still with Morgan propped on his hip. Then it was Rhodes, who didn’t even bother to hide his tear-stained face when it was his turn to hug Peter. Happy was only slightly better than Rhodes, blinking his eyes furiously in an effort to stop himself from crying. By the time Nebula finally got back to her family, Peter had passed Morgan to Pepper so he could hug Harley properly. The hug the two brothers shared was a lot longer, with Peter burying his face deeper into Harley’s chest when the blond reached up to ruffle his brown curls. Nebula could see that Harley was saying something to Peter, whose head moved slightly into a nod. When the both of them finally pulled apart, their eyes were rimmed with tears.

It was positively the second most adorable thing Nebula had seen that day.

“Congratulations, Pete,” Nebula said when it was finally her turn, squeezing his shoulder gently. “I’m sure you’re tired of hearing this but I’m _so_ proud of you. I may not understand that well about Terran education system, but I know you worked really hard.”

“Thanks, Nebs,” Peter said with his beaming smile. “And really, I’m totally fine with any of you saying that a million times. I really appreciate it.”

“Then it’s perfectly okay for me to tell you how proud _I_ am of you,” a voice quipped.

The whole family turned around to find Michelle Jones standing behind them, with a woman who could only be her mother.

“MJ!” Peter exclaimed happily as he quickly wrapped her in a hug.

“Hello, nerd,” MJ said, returning the hug with a shy smile on her face. She then turned to her mother before she continued talking. “Mum, this is my boyfriend Peter Parker. Pete, this is my mum Nora.”

“Hello, ma’am. It’s really nice to finally meet you,” Peter said politely as he shook her hand. He hid his nervousness quite well, and it was only because Nebula knew him so well that she could tell.

“Nice meeting you too, Peter,” the woman replied, smiling kindly. “And please, call me Nora. After all, I’m not that much older than you kids.”

“Woman, there’s no need to lie,” MJ drawled monotonously, rolling her eyes. “Peter here knows you’re in your mid-forties.”

“ _Michelle_ ,” Peter muttered under his breath. Surprisingly, Nora merely laughed at her daughter’s absolute insolence.

“It’s okay, Peter. I’m used to this brat’s impertinence. I just hope she hadn’t shocked your family too much with her poor manners.”

MJ looked chastised now, and she flushed furiously when she gave Nebula's family a sheepish smile. “I’m sorry about that. My mum just brings out the worst in me sometimes.”

“Don’t worry; we live with Harley,” Nebula said dryly. “He’s _a lot_ worse.”

“Ha ha, very funny,” Harley retorted. “See if I explain Terran humour to you ever again, _Nebby_.”

“This is my aunt, May Parker,” Peter said quickly before Nebula could say something back scathingly to her brother. “That’s my other aunt, Pepper Potts. And these are my uncles, James Rhodes and Happy Hogan.”

“Hello,” Nora greeted. This time it was her turn to look shy as she shook hands with Peter’s parental figures. Granted, she handled it better than most people Nebula had seen.

“And these are my siblings,” Peter continued. “Nebula’s the oldest, then there’s Harley Keener, and this adorable princess is Morgan Stark.”

“Hi, MJ’s mum!” Morgan chirped, waving cheerfully while Nebula merely nodded her hello and let Harley greet Nora properly on her behalf.

“It’s nice to meet you, ma’am,” Harley said, turning up what Peter liked to call his ‘Southern charm’ up to a level that Nebula was sure would have even impressed Gamora.

Then again, her sister somehow found Quill tolerable, so.

“Aren’t you charming,” Nora laughed. “No wonder your brother was so gentlemanly when MJ first took him home.”

“Is that so?” the blond teased his brother, an annoying smirk on his face.

Rolling his eyes, Peter said, “Yeah, yeah. You can gloat about it all you want now, Keener.”

Harley cackled like the maniac he was, but fortunately said nothing more. Pepper quickly took over the reins of the conversation to avoid a round of the usual Parker-Keener legendary argumentation, asking MJ about her plans for the future. Meanwhile May was asking Nora about how Peter was when MJ brought him to meet, and soon the women were sharing embarrassing stories about the two love birds—much to Harley’s amusement who was eavesdropping on the conversation to get some blackmail material. When Rhodes gave him a backhanded slap, Harley stuck his tongue out at Rhodes, who mock-glared at the blond as he fought back a grin. Everyone in the Stark family knew that just like how Peter was Happy’s favourite, Harley was Rhodes’. Both men wouldn’t admit it, but Nebula’s brother had them wrapped around their fingers in the same way Morgan had everyone's.

_“Michelle!”_

All of them turned their heads toward the sound of the voice, and Nebula couldn’t help but to notice the way Harley quickly straightened up when he saw it was Cassie Lang that had called MJ’s name. The girl was walking fast toward MJ, who gave the girl one of her supposedly rare smiles. While Peter and Harley were undeniably close, Nebula noticed that her youngest brother only ever talked candidly to _her_ about his high school life. He said it was because Harley simply had no patience to listen to the typical high school drama, especially since he’d managed to avoid by skipping three grades straight into university. As the brunette got closer, Nebula was reminded of Peter’s story about how MJ got along right away with Cassie since her first day at Midtown. The girl was not in the same classes as Peter, but Fury made it Peter’s responsibility to make sure she had a friend. And as Peter only had one female friend who knew about his secret identity, he had no choice but to ask for MJ’s help.

Peter had admitted that in the beginning, he’d worried that Cassie would be offended by MJ’s bluntness. That was always MJ’s problem when it came to befriending the girls in his eyes. But it was obvious that Cassie was made of sterner stuff. Because, when MJ made her usual backhanded compliment that not even Peter could tell if it was a good or bad thing, Cassie just laughed and said thank you. While MJ’s face showed no emotion on how she felt, Peter told Nebula that he’d caught the way his girlfriend’s eyes glinted with mirth. Ever since then, despite having only one class together, MJ and Cassie were almost inseparable. The most horrifying day of Peter’s life was when both girls decided to make it their mission to embarrass Peter in any way they could. When Peter had moaned about it to Nebula, the Luphomoid felt sorry for her brother, especially when Harley had found out and teased Peter. Nebula then made a silent promise with herself that if Harley ever found himself in a situation where he was attracted to anyone, she would side with Peter and make fun of Harley for a change.

Looking at the way Harley stared unblinkingly up at Cassie, Nebula knew the time had come.

“Say, Harley; don’t you think you’re a little _too old_ to be crushing on Cassie Lang?”

_“What the_ fuck _, Nebs?”_


End file.
